Toni Braxton is bringing sexy back. The “Un-Break My Heart” singer, 50, opens up about her first solo album in eight years and more in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
The Grammy Award- winning performer, who this year is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, couldn’t help but gush over her new single, “Long As I Live” — off the star’s ninth studio album, Sex and Cigarettes.
“I heard the track and fell in love with it,” Braxton told Us of her latest single. “Most things I write are about my own life, so I was remembering [the] breakups that I’ve had in the past. Not [necessarily] a specific one, I was just remembering how I felt at different points after different breakups.”
She continued: “I remember [being] in love … and after we broke up … I think he’s over there tripping about me, but then to learn he’s moved on, it’s a hard experience. I wanted to dive into that.”
The Kingdom Come actress, who says her latest effort reminds her of Adele’s “Hello,” added: “It’s about girl empowerment, but at the same time I’m dying inside because the guy has moved on.”
And while the Braxton Family Values star admits that she likes to revisit her work from years past, the hitmaker says she still has what it takes to top the charts of today.
“Sex and Cigarettes [is] the next step. I go back to my original work and listen to those songs … L.A. Reid introduced me to that sound twenty years ago. I’m always pushing the envelope for sexy and for my sound,” Braxton affirmed. “I think as an artist you have push the envelope even further and that’s what I think I did with this album,” adding: “I think my fans are really going to like it.”
Sex and Cigarettes is set to release March 23.
